Super Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Memories can be a funny thing. Some are crystal clear. Others, not so much. Our favorite memories we tuck away in special corners of the mind, so that they are always there for us when we need them, and some find ways of recalling themselves from the depths of cold storage with uncanny fidelity.

And other times, we remember things inaccurately. We put on the rose colored glasses of the mind and attempt to convince ourselves that something was better than it actually was, at least within the context of the time and culture that created the memory in the first place.

Over a decade ago I remember picking up an original Millennium Falcon toy, as an adult, and remembering thinking to myself “I recall this being…bigger.” Of course, it hadn’t changed size; I did. I grew up. The toy that I used to play with as a child filled both arms. It was so seemingly large and unwieldy it almost required the help of a second person to carry effectively. As an adult, well, it didn’t quite live up to the childhood memory.

When Bionic Commando: Rearmed was announced, I recall being as excited as any adult can be about an edition of what could possibly be their favorite game of all time finally getting the sequel it deserved. It’s been a long-held position of mine that the most deserved “Super” sequel we didn’t get from the SNES era was a Super Bionic Commando sequel. So, yeah, if pre-orders were allowed on the XBLAM I would have made one.

Then I got busy with Braid, and work, and the Olympics, and I totally forgot that Rearmed hit yesterday. I downloaded it last night, but didn’t have a chance to play it, and finally managed to get some time with it at work.

If you liked the original Bionic Commando, and have fond memories of it, let me tell you something: Rearmed is one ginormous Millennium Falcon. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a “Super” sequel to Bionic Commando, and then some.